# olc
## Irish
### Etymology

From Old Irish olc, from Proto-Celtic *ulkos or Proto-Celtic *ulkʷos.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɔl̪ˠk/, /ol̪ˠk/, /ɔlˠk/
* (Aran) IPA: /ˈolˠək/

### Noun

olc m (genitive singular oilc, nominative plural oilc)
* evil
* bad (in the world; of people, things)
* misfortune
* grudge

#### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
olc
oilc
vocative
a oilc
a olca
genitive
oilc
olc
dative
olc
oilc
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an t-olc
na hoilc
genitive
an oilc
na n-olc
dative
leis an olc don olc
leis na hoilc :

### Adjective

olc (genitive singular masculine oilc, genitive singular feminine oilce, plural olca, comparative measa)
* bad, evil
* unfortunate
* wicked

#### Synonyms

* dona
* droch-

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “olc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*ulkʷo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 400
* ↑ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 36, page 20
* ↑ de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1975) The Irish of Cois Fhairrge, Co. Galway: A Phonetic Study, revised edition, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, § 63, page 14
* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 98, page 39
* ↑ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 206

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “olc”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

## Old Irish
### Alternative forms

* olcc, elc

### Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ulkos, of uncertain etymology. May be related to Latin ulcus and English ill. Alternatively, it may be from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”), although there are considerable phonological and semantic difficulties with this etymology.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [olk]

### Adjective

olc (comparative messa, superlative mesam)
* bad, evil
** c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 51$^b$10
    In tan as·mber Dauid “intellectum tibi dabo”, sech is arde són do·mbéra Día do neuch nod·n-eirbea ind ⁊ génas triit con·festar cid as imgabthi do dénum di ulc ⁊ cid as déinti dó di maith. Aithesc trá lesom insin a persin Dǽ.When David says, “I will give thee understanding”, that is a sign that God will give to everyone that will trust in him, and work through him, that he may know what evil he must avoid doing, and what good he must do. He has then here a reply in the person of God.
* (nominalized, neuter) evil
** c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 144$^d$3
    Nach torbatu coitchenn ro·boí indib fri dénum n-uilc, at·rubalt tar hǽsi á pectha.Any common advantage that had been in them for doing evil, it has perished for their sin.

#### Inflection

Due to the adjective's near-exclusive use as a nominative predicative adjective (with the prefix droch serving attributive function), inflections of the adjective are rarely, if ever, encountered. However, inflections of substantivized forms of this adjective are common.
o/ā-stem :
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | olc | olc | olc |
| Vocative | uilc* olc** | olc | olc |
| Accusative | olc | uilc | olc |
| Genitive | uilc | uilce | uilc |
| Dative | ulc | uilc | ulc |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine/neuter | Feminine/neuter |
| Nominative | uilc | olca | olca |
| Vocative | ulcu olca† | olca | olca |
| Accusative | ulcu olca† | olca | olca |
| Genitive | olc | olc | olc |
| Dative | olcaib | olcaib | olcaib |
| Notes | *modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized | *modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized | *modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized |

#### Descendants

* Irish: olc
* Manx: olk
* Scottish Gaelic: olc

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* ↑ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*ulkʷo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 400

### Further reading

* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “olc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Old Irish olc, from Proto-Celtic *ulkos.

### Pronunciation

* (Lewis, Harris) IPA: /ɔl̪ˠk/, [ɔl̪̊ˠk]
* (Uist, Barra, Skye) IPA: /ɔl̪ˠxk/, [ɔl̪̊ˠxk]

### Noun

olc m (genitive uilc, plural uilc)
* evil, wickedness
    Nar fhaiceam olc, nar chluinneam olc, nar labhram olc. ― See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
    Chan eil cleith air an olc ach gun a dhèanamh. ― The only way to conceal evil is not to commit it.
* harm, hurt
* infamy, mischief, wrongdoing

### Adjective

olc (comparative miosa, qualitative noun miosad)
* evil, wicked, bad
    'S olc an comharradh air a' chreig na h-eòin a bhith a' falbh aiste ― It's a bad sign on the rock for the birds to go away.
* infamous, untoward, reprobate

#### Synonyms

* dona
* droch

#### Derived terms

* cha tig olc à teine (“fire purifies (fig.)”)
* co-olc (“anger”)
* co-olcach (“angry”)
* co-olcail (“angry, annoyed”)
* eadar math is olc (“both good and bad”)
* olc no èiginn (“one way or another, anyway”)
* olcas (“wickedness, badness”)
* thig an t-olc na bheachd (“speak of the Devil”)
* thig an t-olc ri iomradh (“speak of the Devil”)

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* ↑ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
* 1 2 Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1940) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. I: The dialects of the Outer Hebrides, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
* ↑ Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1941) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. II: The dialects of Skye and Ross-shire, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap